Larger commercial aircraft that fly at high altitudes and for this purpose comprise a pressurised fuselage there are frequently also regions where it is not necessary to carry out pressurisation. Nevertheless, such non-pressurised regions frequently comprise ventilation systems that provide ventilation by means of blowers operated electrically or by way of hot air, which serves for cooling and for avoiding potentially explosive air/fuel mixtures or air/oil mixtures. In the non-pressurised region there could be systems that could cause ignition of a potentially explosive air/fuel mixture. Accordingly, it should be ensured that already prior to operating these systems, which are, for example, implemented as air conditioning system components (e.g. in aircraft of the type A380 by AIRBUS referred to as an air generation unit, AGU) or as a trimmable horizontal stabiliser actuator, THSA, as a result of ventilating their installation space no such situations may be created. Such ventilation systems must be certifiable based on regulation SFAR 88.
The air for separate ventilation of non-pressurised regions of the aircraft fuselage is sucked from the outside from the surroundings of the aircraft and is later discharged back to the outside. This could be implemented in flight by taking up ram air, and on the ground by means of one or several blowers. To this effect these non-pressurised regions comprise at least two flaps/openings in the outer skin for taking up incoming air and for discharging exhaust air, and optionally comprise at least one blower.
DE 10 009 373 C2 and U.S. Pat. No. 6,415,621 B2 disclose an air conditioning system for a commercial aircraft with an auxiliary compressor that aspirates air from the environment and provides redundant auxiliary ventilation in the installation space of the aircraft air conditioning system.
In the development of aircraft it is an important endeavour to reduce the take-off weight so as to save fuel and consequently reduce operating costs. Carrying along ventilation blowers for non-pressurised regions of an aircraft may not be considered to be an optimum solution from the point of view of weight. Providing flaps and/or openings in the outer skin of an aircraft impairs the aerodynamic quality of the aircraft and may thus not be considered to be particularly advantageous.
It may thus be at least one object to propose an aircraft comprising an aircraft fuselage that comprises at least one pressurised region and at least one non-pressurised region, in which aircraft it is not necessary to carry along separate blowers for ventilating non-pressurised regions of the aircraft, and in which aircraft it is possible to make do to the greatest extent possible without additional flaps or openings in the outer skin of the aircraft. This could result in the potential of significant savings in weight, which could have a favourable effect on the operating costs of the aircraft. In addition, other objects, desirable features and characteristics will become apparent from the subsequent summary and detailed description, and the appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and this background.